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How to fix the black bar bug affecting Google Chrome users
In This Article
Have you just loaded up Chrome only to find an ugly black bar taking up space at the top or bottom of your screen? Here’s how to fix it.
Chrome’s help forum is no stranger to this bug, which has been reported on and off sinceApril 2018(viagHacks).
The bug isn’t technically exclusive to Chrome, with Firefox and video app VLC users also reporting instances of it cropping up in their windows, but the Chrome complaints are by far the loudest. The root of the issue isn’t known but the bug only seems to affect Windows 10 users.
Thankfully, there’s a quick and easy way to banish the black bar if it ever appears when you open Chrome. Read on to learn how to do it.
How to fix the black bar bug affecting Google Chrome users
Chrome users have come up with countless different methods to oust the black bar over the years, including turning off hardware acceleration, running Chrome cleanup, reinstalling Chrome and even creating a new user.
However, only one solution seems to work pretty much every time.
What you’ll need:
The Short Version:
How to get rid of the black bar in Google Chrome
Step1
Spot the black bar in a Chrome window
You’re most likely already at this step if you’ve stumbled upon this guide.(Image: Imgur)
Step2
Enter Chrome’s full-screen mode
The fastest way to do this is to hit F11 (or Fn+F11). You can also enter full-screen mode by heading into the three-dot menu in the top right corner of Chrome and clicking the square icon next to the zoom settings.
Step3
Exit full-screen mode
This is pretty self-explanatory–just hit F11 (or Fn+F11) again. You can also click the X at the top centre of the screen if you arrived in full-screen mode via the three-dot menu.
Step4
Continue browsing–the black bar should be no more (for now)
Sadly, this isn’t a permanent fix, meaning the black bar could return. If it does, simply repeat the above steps to get rid of it when you catch it.
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Troubleshooting
Because there’s no confirmed way of getting rid of the black bar for good, you will need to repeat the above steps whenever you encounter the bug.
While there are plenty of methods you can test out shared in forums, the above is the simplest one we’ve seen (and looks to be the most successful).
Hannah joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer in 2019 after graduating with a degree in English from Royal Holloway, University of London. She’s also worked and studied in the US, holding positions …
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
